Rockies defeat Diamondbacks

Helton broke out of an early slump with three hits, including
his first homer, and drove in three runs as the Colorado Rockies
rallied for a 9-6 victory over the Diamondbacks on Tuesday
night.

Helton entered the night hitting .231, 97 points below his
career average. He singled twice and added a two-run shot off
Jon Rauch in the eighth.

"To me, he's not in a slump," Hurdle said. "He just needs
at-bats. He puts a lot of responsibility on himself and a lot of
pressure on himself. I've always believed he was going to hit.
He's just one of those guys, he was born to hit.

"This is the kind of game you're looking for to get him off and
running, though," Hurdle said.

Garrett Atkins also had three hits for the Rockies, who overcame
a 6-3 deficit in the sixth inning and snapped a four-game losing
streak.

"We showed some grit tonight, some resolve," Hurdle said.

Matt Belisle (1-0) retired all five batters he faced, and Manny
Corpas pitched the ninth for his first save in two chances.

This is Colorado's second trip to the desert this season. By the
time they leave Wednesday, the Rockies will have played twice as
many games at Chase Field (six) as they have in Coors Field.

Eleven of Colorado's first 14 games are on the road. But the
Rockies aren't using the schedule as an alibi for their slow
start.

"I think the biggest thing is to keep grinding," Belisle said.

The Diamondbacks, meanwhile, are grinding their teeth after
falling into last place in the NL West. Arizona is 5-9, and only
the hapless Washington Nationals have more losses, with 10.

"It gets a little frustrating for all the guys, but we've got to
keep battling," Arizona catcher Miguel Montero said.

Chris Young, Eric Byrnes and Mark Reynolds each homered for the
Diamondbacks, who have followed all five of their victories with
a loss.

Down 6-3 in the sixth, the Rockies rallied against the Arizona
bullpen. The first run scored on a double-play groundout by Ryan
Spilborghs and another came in on an RBI single by Helton before
Brad Hawpe lined a two-run, two-out single to center off Juan
Gutierrez (0-1).

"We've struggled all year with guys in scoring position," Helton
said. "You don't want to make too big an issue out of that, then
guys start thinking about it when they're up there hitting. To
battle back and get some key hits like that, after we'd
struggled a couple times earlier, hopefully it'll be a big lift
for us."

Arizona starter Yusmeiro Petit, filling in for injured ace
Brandon Webb, spotted the Rockies a 2-0 lead in the second on
singles by Yorvit Torrealba and starting pitcher Franklin
Morales.

After Morales gave up solo homers to Young and Byrnes on
consecutive pitches in the second, Colorado took a 3-2 lead on
Ian Stewart's RBI single in the third.

Morales left after straining his shoulder as he warmed up in the
bottom of the third inning.

Morales allowed two runs on three hits in two innings, striking
out three. He was recalled from Triple-A Colorado Springs
earlier in the day.

Glendon Rusch relieved Morales and allowed consecutive hits to
Felipe Lopez, Augie Ojeda and Conor Jackson to open the third as
the Diamondbacks took a 4-3 lead.

After Jackson led off the fifth with a single, Reynolds hit a
two-run shot off Rusch, his fourth, to put the Diamondbacks up
6-3.

Petit left after five innings. He gave up two earned runs,
walked one and struck out four.

Notes: Arizona RHP Webb, on the 15-day DL with a tight pitching
shoulder, reported no pain in a 33-pitch bullpen session on
Tuesday. Webb will throw again in the bullpen on Friday, and
then the club will decide if he needs a rehab start before
returning to the rotation. ... Arizona SS Stephen Drew missed
his fourth straight start with a tight left hamstring, but he
drew a walk as a pinch-hitter in the eighth and stayed in the
game.

NLAT ARIZONA - SCORING UPDATETWO-RUN HOME RUN BY TODD HELTON (1) TO RIGHT WITH 1 OUT IN THE 8TH OFF JON RAUCH SCORED DEXTER FOWLER.CURRENT SCORE: COLORADO 9, ARIZONA 6DUE UP FOR COLORADO: G ATKINS (.235, 3-FOR-4)